The early morning rays of the sun illuminate a rocky outcrop of wind scoured trees and brush. You can see in this painting Cole's fascination with the contrasts of light and darkness (which he may use to symbolically embody life and death).  The eye is immediately drawn to the outcrop, dramatically cast in sunlight and standing out from the deep shadows of the background.  Much of the rest of the scene is lightly shadowed except for a dabble of light on a far hillside and the reflection of the Hudson River far below.

Cole loved early morning scenes. The beginning of the day, the touch of light from the early morning sun, was a time of renewal, a lifting one's spirits. Conversely, sunset and evening to him was a somber time.  He rarely painted sunsets. 

In this work, Cole has clearly painted a wild landscape, but there's little feeling of being hemmed in - rather, the ample sky, its lightness and the viewer's high perspective all combine to allow one to enjoy the magnificent scene without being thrust into it.